Beyond the Emptiness
by hotforteacher
Summary: Gillian has moved on since the last time she saw Cal 4 years ago. Now, she is going through a personal tragedy and she will need to turn to Cal for help and guidance. COMPLETE!
1. Chapter 1

**The title is a lyric from the song "Same Old Lang Syne" by Dan Fogelberg. Just listening to the song makes me think what would happen if Cal and Gillian hadn't seen each other in years. This song was more of a focal point than inspiration, but you should definitely listen to it! :)**

**I don't own anything to do with 'Lie to Me'. If I did, then we would be seeing more new episodes!**

_**The part in italics are flashback scenes!**_

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The woman stared blankly into the camera. Her brown hair was tied back neatly. The suit she was wearing was a bland color of blue, but if she wore it any other day it would look stunning on her. She was holding a picture of a little girl with sandy blonde curls and the bluest pair of eyes, just like her mother.

Right next to her was a man in his mid-forties, holding on closely to his wife. He was taller than her by a couple of inches and the suit he wore was just as bland. He was trying to hold back the tears as the police commissioner was talking.

"Her name is Olivia Louise Kramer. She just turned 3 a couple of months ago. She is approximately 2 foot 9 inches tall and 30 pounds. She was last seen at the Charleston Park playing in the sandbox. She has on a pink and blue stripped sweater, blue jeans and red sparkly shoes. If you have any information on the whereabouts of Olivia, please call our police hotline at the bottom of your screen. Any information will help."

The camera cut off and the picture on the television went back to the anchors. Emily shut off the TV and stared at it for a couple minutes. This wasn't good, she thought to herself. If she didn't tell her dad what she saw then he would eventually find out and get mad at her. If she told him then there was a big possibility that he would do something stupid. She straightened her back with her final decision and went straight to her dad's study. She had off from classes today so her dad took off from work so that they could spend some quality time together. Her dad was finishing up a report when she walked through the doors. "Look Em, I promise, I'll be done in about 5 minutes." He looked up and saw the confusion all over his daughter's face. He took off his black rimmed glasses and asked, "What is it? You look like you've seen a ghost, Luv."

Emily shook her head. For a moment she was rendered speechless from what she saw on the TV. She pointed back into the family room with her thumb and said, "Dad, I've just… I just saw…" She knew what she was about to say was about to break her dad's heart. "I saw… on the news that a little girl is missing."

He leaned back into his chair. "Darling, many children go missing. I hope that they will eventually find her, but there is nothing that I can do at the present moment." This was the reason he never watched the news. These stories of missing children were the worst, but unless they needed help from the Lightman Group, he couldn't do anything to help.

"Dad, its Gillian's child that's missing."

.:.

_Cal was sitting in his office looking over some footage for their recent case. Gillian hesitantly walked through his doors with a file in her hand. He could tell that she was shaking all over. Only one thing did that to her and that was a missing child's case. Usually they don't get involved with those cases unless the parents contacted them._

_They went over the case together. The child went missing from the front of their house while the mom went in to get some juice. Despite living on a busy family block, no one saw anything. They were to interview people in the neighborhood to see if anyone was lying. _

_Gillian picked up the picture of the young girl missing and stared at it for a couple of minutes. She was very cute with her brown hair in ponytails and a big smile for the camera. Cal stood over her and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. She shook her head and hastily put the picture back into the case file. She looked up at Cal, tears starting to cloud her normally bright blue eyes. "Cal, let's get her back home."_

"_I promise to do my best, Luv."_

_She looked back down and nodded. She knew that these cases could go either way. She said a silent prayer and wiped the tears from her eyes. She stood up, grabbed the file and left the office without another word._

.:.

Cal stood abruptly. Of the things that would come out of Emily's mouth, he wasn't expecting that. "Are you sure you saw Gillian and not someone who looks like her?"

"Dad, it was her! She has a 3 year old little girl that has gone missing. Someone took her from the park maybe an hour or two ago. It's all over the news."

Cal started to pace the room. He hadn't seen nor heard from Gillian in four years. Should he call her and offer his assistance? She was probably busy with the police, but maybe she didn't want to talk to him. He had to think of some way to get to her. Even after she left, he still thought about her almost every single day. And she had a daughter?

The phone rang and Cal picked it up after the first ring. "Hello? Gillian, is that you?"

"No, Dr. Lightman, it's Ria. Listen, I don't know if you are near a TV but-"

"Emily saw it on the TV." He tried not to sound too disappointed. "Did you try to contact her?"

Ria hesitated, "Well… I was calling to see if you have contacted her. If there is anything that she wants the Lightman Group to do."

Cal sat for a second, grinding his teeth in thought. "I'll get back to you." Then he hung up the phone and turned to Emily, "Did the news report say where they are livin'?"

"She is in Charleston, South Carolina."

He walked past her to the stairs. "Pack a suitcase darling, we're goin' to Charleston."

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**Please review and let me know what you think! :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you for the reviews and alerts!**

_**The part in italics are flashback scenes.**_

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Gillian sat on the couch near the bay window. Her husband Mark was pacing in front of the fire place while some of the police officers treaded around them softly. Gillian held on to a white unicorn stuffed animal with a rainbow mane. It was Olivia's favorite stuffed animal. She had named him Henry. She couldn't go to sleep without it. Gillian prayed with all her might that Olivia will fall asleep with Henry by tonight. The head detective came up and sat down next to her. He gently said, "Dr. Foster, we went through the list of people that became violent at your office. They all have alibis during the time Olivia was taken. Is there anyone else, you suspect might have taken her?"

Mark stopped his pacing and looked at his wife. "Gillian, it could be a possibility."

Gillian closed her eyes, wishing that this had never happened. "I used to work in Washington DC at a firm called the Lightman Group. It was a place that specialized in deception detection. We mainly worked with the Metro Police and the FBI. I quit four years ago and moved down here. Some of the people we helped put away were pretty violent."

"Violent enough to take you daughter." It was more of a statement than a question. Gillian nodded. "Can you give us a list of names of people that might have been violent towards you or your family?" He took out a pad of paper and a pen. Hesitating for a bare second, she took it from him and wrote a list of names. The list only contained about three names but it was a start. "Thank you Dr. Foster. We will let you know if anything happens."

Gillian went back to looking out the window and squeezing the unicorn. "Thank you Detective."

.:.

Cal had just passed Petersburg, Virginia when he got a text from Ria. "Charleston Det. asked 4 files related 2 Gill. I am sending files 2 ur email. The names r 'Danielson' 'Jenkins' and 'Clark'."

The last name he read sent chills up his spine. He stepped on the gas pedal harder and sped up.

.:.

_After interviewing all of the neighbors, Gillian and Cal were at a dead end. It wasn't until Cal saw news footage of Patricia Clark, the girl's mother, did they get anything. Cal saw satisfaction and a hint of guilt cross over the young mother's features. _

_After interviewing her for an hour, she broke and confessed to everything. The young mom thought that men she had seen in the grocery store a month earlier were coming after her daughter. She killed her by poisoning her juice and buried her body near a park that they both liked to go to. Gillian diagnosed __her as having __Schizophrenia._

_After confirming the body that they dug up was Madeline Clark, Gillian disappeared. A couple hours later, she showed up to his house, drunk and full of tears. He brought her in and covered her with as many blankets as he could find. He fixed her tea and waited right next to her to start talking._

_After her second cup, she mumbled, "It's not fair Cal. I have wanted to have a child of my own since I was a child." She looked up at him with her blue eyes blazing. "Is God trying to punish me some how? Does he think that this is funny? He puts these barriers in my pathway and every time it gets harder and harder to cross them. What's going to happen if I can't cross the next one?"_

_He looked at her features, wishing with everything that he had to make the sadness go away. "You'll be able to cross it because I'll be right next to you, holding your hand and making sure you don't fall."_

_She whispered, "What if you're not there?"_

_He grabbed her hand and squeezed it tightly, "I will always be here for you, I promise. You are my best friend."_

_Gillian remained quiet for a couple of minutes, sipping the rest of her tea. When she was finished, she placed the cup down on the table and asked rather timidly, "Can I sleep here tonight?"_

"_Sure, Luv. Let me get the guest bedroom ready." He started to get up but Gillian stopped him. _

"_Can I sleep in your bed with you?"_

_Cal stared into her eyes. There was no desire or lust in her sapphire orbs, only the determination to not be alone. He smiled and nodded his head. He pulled her up from the couch and walked her to his bedroom. Once they were in bed, he wrapped his arm around her waist and held on tight. She turned her head slightly over her shoulder and whispered, "Promise me that you won't break my heart."_

"_I promise, Luv."_

.:.

I had been a couple of hours since Gillian and Mark had seen the detective, but they were in the same spot when he walked through their front door. Mark stopped pacing and Gillian looked up from the window with anticipation. He smile, "I think we may have a couple of leads. We looked into the names you gave us Gillian, Jenkins was killed in prison about a month after your altercation with his apprentice."

Mark interrupted the detective, "What was this 'altercation'?"

Gillian looked up to Mark and said, "I was attacked by Paul Russell so that he could get his mentor, Andrew Jenkins out of prison. Jenkins, a psychopath, tried to manipulate Ca- my business partner by trying to kidnap me. He wasn't successful."

Mark walked up to his wife and got down on his knees, placing his hands in her lap. "Why didn't you ever tell me this?"

"I didn't want to worry you, since both men were in jail."

The detective moved on with his report. "Paul Russell committed suicide two weeks after Jenkins was killed. Now we are still trying to find Justin Danielson and Patricia Clark."

Gillian looked up from Mark and asked, "I thought Patricia Clark was in a mental institution?"

The detective checked his notes, "She was, but the doctors released her on the order that she would have counseling secessions four times a week and that she would take her medications."

For the first time in hours, she stood up forgetting that Mark's hands were in her lap. "She killed her child! How could they have released her?"

A new person came in from the door and said, "She showed remorse in front of the judge and he gave her leniency. What a wanka that judge is!"

Gillian's body froze as she heard that familiar English accent. She hadn't heard from him in years, so why was she hearing him right now in her living room over 500 miles away from DC? The detective turned to the man and asked, "Who are you and what are you doing in this house?"

"I'm with her." He pointed to Gillian with his hand. Cal noticed a man sitting in front of a window stand up. He walked right next to Gillian and slid his arm around her neck. "We used to be business partners together."

Both the detective and Mark looked between Gillian and Cal. Gillian nodded and turned back to the window. Emily, who was standing next to Cal walked in deeper into the room and sat next to Gillian. "Uhh… hey Gillian! I have missed you so much. I'm sorry about Olivia."

Tears started to form a path down Gillian's cheeks. "Thanks Em but please do me a favor; I want you and your dad to go back to DC. We don't need the Lightman Group's help." She felt so guilty that couldn't even face the young woman. So instead she looked down at Henry and played with his colorful mane.

Cal walked past the two men and sat on the other side of Gillian, "We aren't goin' away until you find your little girl. I made a promise years ago to be with you if somethin' like this happened and I'm not going to break that promise."

She threw Henry to the side as she stood and turned to Cal. Her normally cool eyes turned to fire in record time, "You break promises all the time Cal. What would have made a difference with this one? UGH!" She pointed her finger in his chest and whispered threateningly, "Get the hell out of my house or I'll-"

He stood up and got into her personal space. "Or you'll what? Call the police? Hate to break it to ya, Luv, but they're already here."

Mark grabbed Cal by his shoulder and spun him around, "You heard my wife, get the hell out of our house now!"

Cal almost fell back with his words _my wife_. He didn't know that she remarried. He felt like someone was jabbing a knife into his heart. It was news and a pain that he didn't know how to deal with. He turned to Gillian and whispered, "This is your husband?" For once in his adult life he felt vulnerable.

For the first time in a long time, Gillian reached out to comfort Cal by placing a hand on his arm. "Yes, we have been married for two years."

"Happily?" He couldn't help the malice in his voice.

Her lips pressed together and she looked slightly in the other direction. "Very happy… until today... with Olivia being taken away from us."

He looked to Mark, who was looking straight at Cal but glancing in his wife's direction, chewing the inside of his mouth. "Uh huh…"

Gillian grabbed Cal harder, "Please Cal, for once in your life, leave it alone."

Sensing the tension in the air, the detective said aloud, "Dr. Lightman, we would be happy if you could interview some witnesses we have lined up. Your help will be tremendous to our investigation."

After a couple of moments staring at Gillian, he finally bowed his head and nodded. He was about to turn towards the door when he stopped, placed his hand over hers and said, "This is far from over, Luv. I know I messed up but there are some questions I want answered too."

Gillian slipped her hand off of Cal's arm and went back to her seat in front of the window, carefully making sure that Henry was safe in her arms.


	3. Chapter 3

**Thank you again for all of the support! :)**

* * *

After a couple grueling hours of interviewing witnesses, Cal got into his car and started to make his way over to Gillian's house. Everyone had been telling the truth when they saw Olivia being taken. One of the nannies he interviewed actually gave a description of the woman walking away from the playground with Olivia. She had strawberry blonde hair, average height, kinda skinny, wearing jeans and a white shirt. When he showed her a picture of Patricia Clark, she thought it might be her, but she didn't get a good look of her face so she wasn't sure.

While stopped at a red light, Cal leaned against the door, grabbed his head and closed his eyes. There is something definitely going wrong between Gillian and her husband _Mark_. He saw something cross his face, it looked like guilt, but he couldn't be for sure. And he was biting the inside of his mouth; a sure tell sign that he is feeling the guilt. But about what? He would like nothing more than to have five minutes alone with him to find out his deepest darkest secret. But would that be fair to Gillian; especially since she caught him with another woman? Would it even be wise?

.:.

_They started seeing each other two months after the Madeline Clark case ended. Ever since that first night together, they couldn't resist the attraction they held for each other. It was like they were always meant to be with each other, but the only ones who didn't know were them. They kept their relationship on the down low. The only one who knew was Emily, who was of course over the moon. She told her dad when Gillian was using the restroom one night before dinner, "You know; now I can go to college without worrying about you being alone."_

_The months they shared together were blissful. They shared every free moment they had with each other. It wasn't until Diana Hester came into the picture, that things took a turn for the worst__._

_ Every since stepping foot into the Lightman Group, Diana had two things on her mind; prove that her husband at the time was cheating on her and making sure she found out the truth with whatever money it took. After seeing Cal for the first time, her priorities changed to making sure that she got what she wanted and that was Cal._

_Of course, after finding out that her husband was cheating on her, he shrugged off her advances. Then she became relentless; sending him cards and presents and pictures of herself in a negligee's. He had to admit that she was an interesting character that he would have loved to study, but he didn't want to break his promise to Gillian._

_Then one night, while he was working late in his office, Diana came waltzing in. She had a fur coat on hiding whatever was underneath. Cal instantly stood up and asked her to leave. _

_She sauntered up to his desk and pinned him against a wall. She let her coat fall to the ground, exposing that she was wearing nothing underneath it. Something inside him was starting to twitch. He wanted so desperately to move or to push her away, but for the life of him, he didn't know why. She was the first to lean in and make her move. He gave in to her temptations for a couple minutes when somewhere off in the background he heard glass shatter on the floor. His mind snapped back into reality and all he could think of was Gillian._

.:.

-BEEP, BEEP—

Cal looked at the light and saw that it was green. How long had he been stopped there? After waving to the driver behind him, he sped forward. Within minutes he parked in front of Gillian's house. Before going in, he noticed that her house seemed perfect. There was a white picket fence with toys in the yard, flower beds all around the house and a wraparound porch complete with two swings. Everything seemed to be perfect, the way Gillian would have wanted it. She deserved it. But Cal was supposed to be by her side not this "Mark" character.

Shoving one of his hands in his pockets, he nodded to the police officer stationed at the door and knocked. The door was unlocked and opened for Cal to come in. When the door closed, he saw that it was Emily who had opened it. "Hey dad, how did it go?"

"Alright. Where's Gill?"

Emily bit the side of her lip. "She's in the back yard. I think her and Mark had a fight right after you left."

"Why do you say that?"

"Well… they went in the kitchen together. When Gill came out, she had looked like she had been crying. Mark came out and went straight up the stairs without saying anything."

He placed his hand on her arm, "I don't need to tell you how stressful this is right now. Their child is missing and all they can think about is getting her back safely."

She nodded, "I know dad. I don't think us being here helps the situation."

He lifted her chin with two fingers and said, "I think us being here will help out in the long run, Luv." He let go and she silently nodded again. "Now I saw that you brought some of your school books with you. Why don't you go sit down in the living room and study for a little bit while I go and talk with Gill."

She smiled at her dad and then turned and walked into the living room. Cal followed his way through a hallway with lots of pictures. Most of them were either baby pictures or wedding pictures. Cal took a moment to look at the baby pictures of Olivia. She is definitely a cute baby with light brown curls and blue eyes to match Gillian. Before moving on to scrutinize the wedding pictures, he stopped and took a closer look at the child. There was something that was familiar to him. He stared at that picture for a couple of minutes before shaking his head and making his way to the back yard.

.:.

_It was night time and Gillian and Cal were watching TV in his bedroom. Gillian was leaning on Cal's shoulder while her hand moved over his bare chest. He had one arm around her naked shoulder and the other under his head. _

_Gillian leaned her head back and asked, "What was Emily like as a baby?"_

_He looked down and kissed her nose. "She loved to cry all the time, especially at night. It was hard to get her to smile, but when you did, this whole place would light up. Why you ask, Luv?"_

_She shrugged her shoulders and looked back at the TV. "I have always been curious."_

_He rolled his hand in the air to tell her to continue. "And…?"_

_She turned half of her body towards Cal, exposing her naked form. "Well, you have been a bit… umm… grumpy ever since she has been talking about going to different colleges around the country. I just wanted you to see that even though she doesn't look like it, she will always be that cute little baby that would light up the place from her smile."_

_Cal moved his body so that he was practically lying on top of her. He raked his fingers through her soft hair and smiled. "You know, apart from Emily, you are the best thing that has ever happened to me." He leaned down and kissed her lips. Soon the kisses deepened and the TV was soon forgotten._

.:.

Cal stepped out onto the porch. The sun was setting over the horizon. The state of her back yard was the same as her front yard. There were toys everywhere, they had a small garden of vegetables growing along the back of a white fence and a hammock was tied between two trees. Right next to a red and gray shed was a play set for Olivia; complete with a small slide and two swings.

Gillian turned to see who her intruder was. When she saw Cal, she turned back around and slumped her shoulders. "What do you want Cal?"

He walked up and slid a comforting hand around her tense neck. She shook him off and stepped to the side, leaving more space between them. Cal dug his hands into his pockets and cocked his head so that he was staring at Gillian. "I just wanna make sure that you're alright. I know this is the last thing you want for your family and me being here doesn't help."

"But…?"

"But, I still worry about you. I haven't seen you in almost four years but I still care for y-"

"Cal, please, don't." She held her hand in the air, putting a barrier between her and Cal.

He shrugged his shoulders. "What do you want me to say, Gill? That I hate you? That I'm glad your daughter is missing?" Right as the words came out of his mouth, he wished that he could push them back in.

Before he knew it, there was a stinging sensation across his cheek from Gillian slapping him. "How. Dare. You... Why would you say that?" She couldn't even speak in a complete sentence; she was seething at the mouth.

Cal held his hands up in a mock surrender. "Okay! I know that was the wrong thing to say. I just wanted to let you know that I still care about you!" She rolled her eyes. "I didn't come down here just for you either. I want to help find your daughter and get her back to you."

She took a deep breath. It was a while before she spoke. "Thank you." He slowly nodded his head. Her two words were followed by another bout of silence.

Cal wanted to melt the ice between them. "So, how old is Olivia?"

Gillian started to bite her lip nervously. "She turned three a couple of months ago."

Something didn't click right in his head. He looked over to Gillian and saw that she was insanely nervous about something. He did the math in his head and nothing added up. "How long have you known Mark?" She shrugged her shoulders and looked the other way from his scrutiny. He invaded her personal space and pushed her chin up with his two fingers so that he could properly see her face. "How long have you known Mark?"

"I have known him for three years and we have been married for two of those years."

He was starting to get lightheaded. He grabbed onto her shoulders to balance himself and to get her attention. "Gillian? I know I'm not very good with numbers but-"

"She's your daughter." Her voice was barely above a whisper but to him it was like she was screaming in his ear.


	4. Chapter 4

**WOW! Thank you for all of the feedback and support! :)**

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Cal wanted to melt the ice between them. "So, how old is Olivia?"

Gillian started to bite her lip nervously. "She turned three a couple of months ago."

Something didn't click right in his head. He looked over to Gillian and saw that she was insanely nervous about something. He did the math in his head and nothing added up. "How long have you been with Mark?" She shrugged her shoulders and looked the other way from his scrutiny. He invaded her personal space and pushed her chin up with his two fingers so that he could properly see her face. "How long have you been with Mark?"

"I have known him for three years and we have been married for two of those years."

He was starting to get lightheaded. He grabbed onto her shoulders to balance himself and to get her attention. "Gillian? I know I'm not very good with numbers but-"

"She's your daughter." Her voice was barely above a whisper but to him it was like she was screaming in his ear.

.:.

_She sat on the toilet and stared, amazed, at the little blue plus sign. After the years of doctor's visits, and fertility plans and fertility drugs and waiting to have sex till she was at her ovulation peak; she was finally pregnant. And the biggest shocker was that she didn't need the doctors or the plans or the drugs. She just needed the right man. And she certainly found him. She looked up towards the ceiling and said, "Thank you God." _

_She had been feeling sick for the past couple of weeks and for shits and giggles, she got the pregnancy test. She never thought she was actually pregnant, it was only supposed to be a joke. But now that she was here, staring at the blue lines, she couldn't help but feel... ecstatic._

_She couldn't wait to tell Cal. She lightly placed her hand over her stomach. Would he be angry? Surprised? Happy? There was only one way to find out._

_Taking the bull by the horns, she grabbed her car keys and soon made her way to the office. He had been working hard the past couple of days trying to get life back to normal. For the past couple of weeks, he has had to deal with Diana Hester and her less than tactful ways to get in Cal's pants. Gillian knew that he saw Diana as something to study, however, she was also very exhausting. Though he didn't tell her, she saw the risqué pictures and gifts in the garbage. At first she wasn't too wild when she saw it, but relished in the fact that it was in the garbage._

_Since seeing those pictures, she was not worried about walking into the office to find Diana the Bimbo making out with Cal. She even laughed at the thought. He promised her that he wouldn't break her heart and Cal always kept his promises, at least with her. And they are about to become parents. She knew in her heart of hearts that he was going to be overly excited about it._

_When she got to the office, she had the overwhelming sensation to have tea. So instead of going straight to Cal's office, she swung by the break room and made tea for herself. While the tea was brewing, she couldn't help but think of baby names._

.:.

After dropping the bomb that Olivia was Cal's biological daughter, Gillian slipped away from Cal's fingers and went inside the house. Cal, not even noticing that Gillian left, stared hazily towards the sky. He kept thinking in his head that he had a daughter. He was at first over the moon about the news, but then reality came crashing down, like the bitch that it was. She left him. She left him and never told him that she was having his baby. HIS BABY! By the end of that thought, his blood was beginning to boil. He looked down and saw that Gillian had left his side.

He wrenched open the sliding door and slammed it shut. "Oi! Gillian? Where are you?" When he didn't hear anything, he added, "You can't hide forever, Luv." He stalked towards the living room to see Emily looking up at her dad nervously. She recognized the tone in his voice. He was angry and he wanted answers fast; in fact, the sooner the better. He had only talked to her like that two times in her life. Even though the light was dim, she could see the fire rage in his eyes. "Did you see where Foster went?"

"Umm… yeah, she just went into the kitchen. Dad…?" She was about to ask him what was wrong, but was never able to since he stormed away from her. She put her books down beside her on the couch and decided to follow her dad to the kitchen. Instead of invading their privacy, she was just going to listen in on their conversation. Maybe it would explain why Gillian left in the first place, which Emily was very curious about to begin with.

Cal pushed his way into the kitchen. It was big yet cozy at the same time. Perfect, just like everything else in her life. He saw that her back was facing him and that she froze when she heard him come through. He held out his hands and shouted, "WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME THAT I WAS THE FATHER?" He wanted to get her attention and he wanted to make her feel uncomfortable. So far, he was winning.

Her shoulders slumped so much that she had to lean on the counter for support. Her voice was in pure contrast to his, "Because, you broke my heart despite you promising me that you wouldn't. I wanted nothing more than to leave that city and never look back." Her body was shaking, trying to control her feelings. She wanted nothing more than to run away from this conversation. She tried to move her legs but they wouldn't budge, so she bowed her head even more and whispered, "I couldn't bare to even look at your face."

His voice was still stern, trying to keep his own emotions in check. "That doesn't answer my question."

The tone he was using made her flush with anger and gave her a new found confidence. She turned around and threw her hands in the air. "I didn't trust you, Cal. If I couldn't trust you with my heart, how could I trust you with our child?"

His eyebrows pinched together as his lips thinned into a ghostly white line. His body was trembling from anger. "You didn't have the right to make that assumption. You were being selfish and immoral-"

Gillian crossed her arms tightly over her chest. "HA! Says the man who cheated on me with that two-bit bimbo. You signed off from being a father the second your lips touched hers."

"What did she have to do with telling me that you were pregnant with our child?"

Her eyes flickered with anger. All it took to get her point across was one word, "Everything." They stared at each other from across the room, neither one breaking the contact. Though it was a cool night, it was steamy and parched in the kitchen.

Cal was the first to break the silence by throwing his hands in the air out of pure frustration. "I told you that I was sorry. I tried calling you and texting you and e-mailing you. I got nothing back."

"Wow, what a way to say you're sorry than in an e-mail." She was being sarcastic and he knew she was just being on the defensive. That didn't stop him from taking the bait, though.

"What was I supposed to do, Gill? Search under every stone till I found you. I went to your apartment the next day and you were gone. Then the day after that, I found out that you sold all of your sharing's of the Lightman Group. You had disappeared into thin air until today when Emily saw your face on the news." His blood was getting back up to it's original boiling point. "YOU WERE ON THE NEWS HOLDING A BLOODY PICTURE OF MY DAUGHTER NEXT TO YOUR NEW HUSBAND!" He was seething at his mouth, gripping the counter with his white knuckles. He pushed himself away and punched the closest thing, which was a wall next to the door he came through. Though he felt better inside, his hand was starting to bleed.

Gillian saw his bloody fist and quickly grabbed a towel, not even hesitating after the fact that they were just arguing. She first rinsed it under cool water and then walked up the Cal. She gently took his hand and started to wipe away the blood. He winced from pain but the electricity sizzled from their contact. After making sure all of the blood was wiped away, she threw that towel away and grabbed a new one from the pantry. She filled it with ice and took her position again in front of Cal grabbing his hand and resting the ice on his fist. They sat in an awkward silence. The air around them was hot with anger but it was starting to cool off by their close proximity to each other. Every now and then, their eyes would matched up and something other than anger passed through them. Despite all of the heartbreak and broken promises, it was apparent that they still had feelings for each other. It was a long while before she spoke up. "I'm sorry, Cal." She looked up at him. He saw the tears starting to well up and despite yelling and cursing at her several minutes ago, he now wanted nothing more than to hold and comfort her. Deciding that was the wrong thing to do at the present moment, he stayed where he was. She brushed away the tears with her free hand and went on. "I should have told you, but at the time I was so angry with you that I didn't even want to talk to you. You hurt me, Cal, deep down. I can never forgive you for that." She turned around and ran out of the kitchen, leaving him to his self despise.

.:.

_Gillian walked in just as Diana leaned in and kissed Cal. For a couple seconds she just stood there feeling her heart break inside her chest. She lost the feeling in her hands and feet and in some distant space she heard glass break on the concrete floors. It was as though it is an alarm sounding off the calvary. She focused her eyes on the two people in front of her, but mostly on Cal. She lifted her chin wanting to show that she was being strong about this, but her sad eyes gave her away._

_He knew once he saw her face that he fucked up. After all of the times he turned Diana down, she got to him this time. He broke his promise to her and now he saw nothing but heartbreak and misery in her eyes. _

_She couldn't look at him anymore. She grabbed her stomach and ran out of his office. After a couple seconds, he followed after her. By the time he got to the lobby she had disappeared. He checked the elevator and saw that it was sitting on the ground floor. Then he checked the stairwell, nothing. When he checked all of the rooms, including the women's bathroom, he gave up his search and retreated back to his office._

_Diana was sitting on the edge of his desk, still naked, checking out her polished nails. "Too bad about your little girlfriend there." She put on a fake pouty face. She pushed herself off the desk and sauntered to where his was standing. "Don't worry about her; I can take care of you the way she never could." _

_Cal's eyes were unfocused and he looked like he wasn't even paying attention to her. Then she made the mistake of touching his cheek. Within a millisecond, he grabbed her wrist hard and dragged her out of his office. Once in the lobby, he threw her down to the ground along with her fur coat. "I don't want to eva see you again! If I do, then you will regret it." He went back into his office, making sure to squash any of her hopes of getting together by the slam of his door._


	5. Chapter 5

**Thank you again for all of the reviews! Two or three more chapters left! :)**

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Cal walked out into the living room. She got away from him once, he was damn sure she wasn't going to do it again. He stopped in his tracks when he saw her talking with the lead detective. He walked over to where Emily was standing. He whispered to her, "You heard everything." It was more of a statement than a question. She is her father in every sense, including eavesdropping.

"Yes." No sense in hiding it now. She's not ashamed of it. He would have done it to her in a New York minute.

"When did he show up?" He nodded his head towards the detective.

"Right as Gillian walked out of the kitchen. He didn't hear anything. But he did." She nodded towards Mark, who just became visible to Cal. "He was very angry, but I think the thing that unsettled him more was the fact that Gillian told you something important and not him." Cal slid his arm around Emily's shoulder and brought her closer to him. It was evident that he was very proud of her. He looked over and kissed her temple. Despite all of the chaos around them, they still shared a nice father/daughter moment.

Cal then looked back over to Mark, who did a hell of a job hiding his anger. Then something else crossed his face, when the detective was talking to them. Then ever so slightly, he began to chew the inside of his cheek. He was definitely nervous about something and Cal had to find out soon. "Oi!" He got everyone's attention. "Any news you would like to share with the class?" He was staring at Mark, but he meant for everyone to hear.

The detective looked at Gillian first, to get her permission. To the dismay of Mark, she nodded. The detective looked back at Cal and Emily and said, "We just found out that Patricia Clark has been in a psychiatric hold for the past 24 hours and Justin Danielson has been awaiting a court hearing in Milwaukee for the past two days. We are back at square one." His statement hung in the air. He didn't say it to be spiteful to Gillian and Mark; he said it to be spiteful at himself. He shook his head and looked back at Gillian. "Are you sure you can't think of anyone else that has a personal vendetta against you and your family."

Before she could answer, Mark pointed his finger at Cal and said, "He does. He just found out that he's the biological father of Olivia." Cal knew that Mark was doing everything he could to keep people from looking at himself. At that precise moment, Cal knew that Mark was somehow involved with this.

"You dumb wanka, I just found out about her twenty minutes ago."

Mark had a plan formulated in his head. "How do we know that you 'just found out about her'? He could have found out about her weeks ago and kidnapped her."

Even Gillian didn't believe his story. She shook her head and spoke up, "No, he just found out about her twenty minutes ago. He showed shock and surprise, not a hint of recognition."

Mark turned to his wife, "But you told me that he was really good at hiding secrets." He grabbed her elbow and squeezed it lightly. "Why are you trying to defend him?" He was starting to get desperate.

"I'm not trying to defend him, I'm telling the truth. You can't fake shock and surprise like that. His was genuine."

Mark turned back to Cal. "Well then he won't mind telling us where he was this morning."

Emily spoke up this time, "He was at home in Washington DC, five hundred miles away. He was working in his office on some reports for his business."

Mark's plan was slowly slipping away from his fingers. He began to chew the inside of his mouth again.

Cal inwardly grinned. "Where were you Mark?" He wanted nothing more than to be in his face right now, but he had to be patient. He had to make sure that Gillian saw what he did, otherwise she would think that he was being jealous or too aggressive.

Mark crossed his hands over his chest, a defensive posture. "I was at the office." Defensive as it may be, he was telling the truth. But then he started to chew the inside of his cheek again.

Cal walked up to him so that he could properly read his face. "But you know who did this."

His breath became shallow and the chewing became more prominent. "No." Cal heard a quick intake of air from Gillian. He glanced over using his peripheral vision and saw that she had crossed her arms and her eyes were glazed over.

Cal pointed to his cheek and said, "Now that's a lie. Whenever you lie or you're nervous you start to chew the inside of your mouth." He turned his head to Gillian for only a second and said quietly, "You knew his poker face from the get-go. You knew earlier that he knew something."

She never looked away as she mumbled, "I only had a hunch until now." Then she slowly turned her whole body to her husband, her breathing was starting to become very erratic and asked, "Where is she? Where is my daughter?" When he didn't answer her, she threw her ams down by her side and balled her fingers in her hand. "Tell me, now." After a couple minutes of more silence, Gillian pushed Mark from his shoulder and stepped forward so that she was in his face. "I swear to God you don't answer me right now, I will kill you with my bare hands. Where is my daughter?"

Mark kept opening and closing his mouth. The damn coward couldn't make one little sound. To be honest, he looked as though he was about to throw-up.

Cal looked between the two like it was a tennis match, leaned over to Mark and said, "You better tell her now, she has a pretty mean slap and she's not afraid to use it." Cal started to back away slowly.

Gillian was starting to seethe at the mouth, "You better tell me what you know right now."

When he didn't speak up, she lifted her hand in the air ready to strike. Mark ducked behind the detective and shouted, "Okay, I'll tell you everything."

The detective turned to look at the cowardly man with fury. He pushed him into the nearest seat and simply said, "Talk."

Cal walked up so that he could get a better read. Mark started his story. "It happened about a year ago. I bumped into Stephanie Williams, one of my old clients, at the coffee shop. We sat there talking for about an hour. It was innocent at first but then I started to bump into her a lot. One night we went to the bar next to the coffee shop and the next thing I know it's morning and I'm waking up next to her." He looked over to Gillian with desperation in his eyes. "I swear I don't know how I got there."

Cal leaned in and tapped Mark's cheek with his hand, "Oi! We're over here. You're not talking to her." Both men closed ranks around Mark, while Gillian stood a little back.

Mark looked as though he was going to mutiny but then decided against it after receiving the death glare from those people around him, including Gillian. "Well despite my memory at how it happened the first time, we have been seeing each other since then. Then last week I saw that she had been making purchases on my card. We had a big fight and I told her that I wanted to break it off with her. She has been begging me to take her back since then. Today I got a text message that said I'll be sorry that I broke her heart." He pulled out his cell phone and showed the text to the detective.

Cal was the first one to ask a question. "Why didn't you tell the cops about her earlier? We could've had Olivia back by now."

Mark squinted his eyes at Cal and sneered, "And you think after this Gillian would go back to you?"

"Well she sure as hell won't be going back to you, mate. At least I didn't help kidnap her daughter." Cal shook his head and looked down at the phone with the detective.

Noticing that both men were distracted, Mark got up and made a beeline for Gillian. He grabbed her shoulders before anyone could get to him. "I didn't kidnap Olivia. I didn't know what she was doing until she sent me that text. I didn't know this was ever going to happen. You have got to believe me."

She shook herself away from his grasp and looked at him with the upmost disgust. "But you didn't tell us about the text until now. That is precious time wasted because of your stupidity. Get out of my house. I never want to see you again."

He tried to grab her once more, but Cal stopped him. He grabbed Mark by his hand and shoulder and dragged him back to his previous seat. The detective took out his handcuffs and cuffed Mark. "You are under arrest for accessory to kidnap a child after the fact." He picked him up from the seat and read him the rest of his rights. "Now after all of that legal bullshit, you better tell me where she took Olivia. If you don't I will personally drive you back to the station taking the scenic route." He bent down so that he could convey his meaning even more. "In fact we might just be 'lost' for a couple of hours."

Mark swallowed hard and said, "I don't know where she took her but I know she has a cabin on the beach near Seabrook Island. We went there for the Fourth of July weekend."

The detective took out his cell phone and called for police and SWAT to meet him at her house. After getting off the phone, he grabbed Mark by his collar and brought him up so that they were nose to nose. "To bad I won't be bringing you down to the station tonight, but I'll make damn sure that I will get to transport your sorry ass to your hearing. Be counting on it." He pushed Mark to the other officer and then turned to Gillian. "Why don't you ride with me? It will take us about 35 minutes to get there."

She shook her head and saw that Cal was already fishing for his keys. "I'll go with Cal. We'll follow you." The detective just nodded and walked out the door.

Cal looked up, surprised that she would want to be in the same car as him. However, he didn't have time to think about, so he grabbed her hand and brought her to his car. Emily came following after them. Cal didn't argue with her. She was an adult and free to make her choices. He was actually glad that she was coming. Although 35 minutes didn't seem that long, 35 minutes in the same car with Gillian felt like it was going to be a lifetime.

.:.

The car ride to Seabrook Island was a quiet one. The only time Gillian spoke was when she looked over at Cal and quietly said, "She has you ears." She smiled when he beamed at her, but then her smile went away just as fast as it had appeared. She went back to looking out of the window. Cal put his eyes back on the road but not before tearing up himself. He gripped the steering wheel tightly, almost forcing himself not to get choked up. When the emotion passed, he relaxed and went back to concentrating on the road

Emily watched this from the back seat. She grinned as she remembered her dad saying that she had his ears too.


	6. Chapter 6

**Thanks for the reviews! :)**

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They made it to Seabrook Island in record time. It helped that they had a police car in front of them making way with his siren. The police and the SWAT were already there when they pulled in. They all climbed out of the car and raced towards the house. Then out of nowhere, shots were fired from a gun into the night air. Gillian froze were she was, not allowing herself to move or breathe. Cal grabbed her waist and brought her closer to his chest. She exhaled as he circled his arms around her body. Then out of now where an angry voice rang out, "If any of you come any closer the next bullet will be in her skull." Stephanie's statement hung in the salty air. Gillian grabbed a handful of Cal's shirt, willing herself not to cry. She was failing miserably.

The police and SWAT scrambled around them, trying to find a way into the house without provoking the unstable woman. Then through all of the hustle and bustle, someone said, "We have a visual. The woman is pacing the room and the child is…" He was checking his monitor, his eyes moving in every direction. Everyone around him was hanging on to every word. "The child is in the same room, but she isn't moving."

Gillian looked at the house with tears streaming down her face. After a couple of seconds, Cal lifted her chin so that he could look in her eyes. He lovingly wiped away the tears and for a brief moment she stopped crying. He smiled down at her and said, "You know I have never stopped loving you. For the longest time I was afraid to tell you my true feelings, even when you were right there and the moment was perfect, but now I'm not so afraid." He kissed the tip of her nose, which he remembered she used to like, and said "I love you Gillian." He looked into her eyes for a couple seconds and then let go. Before she could say anything to stop him, he had jumped the police barrier and walked up to the house. The officers tried to stop him as well, but he was too slippery for them.

.:.

_Cal and Gillian were lying right next to each other on the couch. It was a Sunday afternoon, the weather outside was rainy and cold; the perfect day to stay inside and be lazy. Cal was reading over Emily's homework while Gillian was reading a new romance novel. She was leaning against his chest and he was subconsciously rubbing her shoulder. Gillian had been feeling under the weather lately, so this lazy Sunday afternoon was definitely needed._

_After finding a stopping point, Cal laid down the papers and looked down at Gillian. "How are ya feelin', Luv?"_

_She laid her book down on her leg and looked back into his eyes, "Still feeling a little sick."_

_"You should go to the doctor."_

_She swatted her hand through the air, "Nah, he's just going to tell me that I have a cold or something and to take Tylenol. I'll be fine. Plus this, right now is helping." She leaned her head all the way back so that it was lying against his shoulder. She never lost eye contact with him. "It will eventually run its course." He leaned down and kissed the tip of her nose and then kissed her lips. They parted briefly. Gillian lifted her hand up to his cheek and began to caress it. Then all of a sudden she voiced what she had been feeling the past couple of months, "I love you, Cal."_

_He smiled down at her but didn't respond to her last four words. He wanted to say them back to her, but it was blocked off in his throat. He was about to say something witty when she grabbed her book and looked down at it. Whatever chance he had at that moment was lost. Cal felt like a coward, but then Gillian comforted his feelings, "Don't worry Cal. You don't have to say it back to me. I just wanted to let you know how I felt about you." She patted his leg with her free hand._

_Not knowing what else to do or say, Cal grabbed the papers and began reading them again. Ten minutes later their peace and quiet was interrupted by Emily walking through the living room to get to the kitchen. She was on the phone talking to a friend. "Oh! I almost forgot to tell you that I heard from Josie, who heard from Kat, who swore she heard Becky say that Brittany was pregnant. Can you believe that! I bet you its Mark's baby. I saw them at the movies together making out. That explains why she has been so sick lately."_

_"Oi! You know that we can hear your conversation, right?"_

_Emily covered the mouth piece and whispered, "Sorry dad, but I got hungry. When are we going to eat dinner?"_

_"At our normal time. And no more of that pregnant talk, you starting to make me nervous." He looked at her with stern eyes so that she would catch his drift. "Or do I need to give you another lecture on why I should convert our basement into a dungeon."_

_Emily rolled her eyes, "Fine dad, I get your drift." She looked over to Gillian who had a weird look on her face. She placed a hand on the older women's shoulder and asked, "Are you okay, Gillian? You look like you've seen a ghost."_

_Gillian swallowed hard and smiled up to the teenage. "Yeah, I'm fine, just feeling a little under the weather today."_

_"Okay, did you need me to get you a glass of water or something?"_

_Gillian shook her head, "Nah, I'm fine. Thanks though."_

_"Not a problem, hey dad, how's my paper so far?"_

_He held his hands out and exclaimed, "I haven't finished reading it, but so far I've counted 23 grammatical mistakes."_

_"Ha, ha, dad. You are so funny. I'm going back up to my room." She let go of the mouth piece and went back to talking to her friend as she climbed the stairs._

_Cal looked down at Gillian and saw that she was still rather ghostly and pale. He laid the papers back down and began massaging her shoulders. She was very tense, which was odd since not too long ago, she was completely relaxed against his chest. After a couple minutes of kneading out the tension, she rolled her head down and moaned ever-so-softly. He loosened the pressure and started rubbing his hands all over her back. "God Cal, how did I ever deserve you?"_

_"Well for starters you are very sexy and that moaning thing you just did would melt any guy into the palm of your hands. Not to mention, you are very smart and I like women who can hold their own against me."_

_She turned her body around so that she was facing Cal again. "I meant it Cal. I really do love you." Before he could think of response, she leaned in and kissed him passionately._


	7. Chapter 7

**One more chapter to go! :)**

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When he was close enough to the house, Stephanie yelled out from the window, "I said no cops! I'll shoot her if you come one step closer."

Cal held his hands up and yelled, "Oi! I'm not police! I just wanna talk. I'm a friend of Marks. My name is Cal."

After a couple of minutes of an awkward but deadly silence, the front door cracked open. Cal took his cue to walk in. When he did, he saw that Stephanie was pointing the gun to his chest. Cal looked down and saw Olivia asleep on the couch. At least she was safe, for now. "Listen, Mark sent me in to say that he's sorry."

Stephanie was in her mid-thirties. She was shapely, blonde and to Cal's standards, quite beautiful. However, with a gun in her hands, she looked quite deranged. "Well then why didn't he come in here himself and say that."

"He wanted to but he was afraid. Afraid that you would hate him. Afraid that you wouldn't believe him." Cal had to choose his words carefully. She could go from zero to sixty in a matter of seconds. He softened his voice. "He told me about you. I could tell that he loves you very much."

She nodded, "He loved me more than that bitch of a wife he's got at home. He told me that he had to end it with me so that he could take care of their snobby little horror, right here." She pointed the gun at Olivia. "I figured that he could come back to me if I had her here. He was always saying how he only stayed with his bitch wife because of her." She nodded towards the sleeping form who was starting to stir awake.

Cal had to act fast. "Well Mark is waiting for you out there. I know the police are out there, but they are willing to forgive you if you bring out the girl safely." Anyone in their right mind would have laughed at this, but Stephanie was not in her right mind.

She looked out of the window and relaxed her hand that was holding the gun. Cal took his chance right then. He pounced on her so that they both landed on the floor and made sure that the gun was away from anyone in the room. She struggled against him but he was a lot stronger than her. He wrestled the gun out of her hand and slid it under the chest of drawers, so that no one could reach it. Then he screamed, "SHE'S DOWN! SHE'S DOWN!" He pinned her wrists to the floor and laided his body on top of hers so that she couldn't run away.

All of a sudden, she kneed him in the groin area and got away from his grasp. She made a run at the little girl but was quickly brought down again by the army of officers and SWAT. Once they had a grasp on her, she tried to wrestle her way out and yelled, "YOU CAN'T STOP US FROM BEING TOGETHER! UGH! LET ME GO! YOU WILL NEVER STOP US FROM BEING TOGETHER!" You could hear her screams all the way outside of the house.

In the hustle and bustle of Stephanie's arrest, Olivia woke up and looked down at Cal. She wiped the sleep out of her eyes and groggily asked, "Where's mommy?" She looked around expecting to find her. When she didn't she started to tear up. "I want my mommy!"

Despite seeing stars from Stephanie's low (very low) blow, he stood up and reached for the young girl. It surprised him when she held on to him tightly. He said in a soft voice, "Your mommy is outside waiting for ya. There's no need to cry, no need to cry." He rocked her until her sobs subsided. He brought her back so that he could look at her. She did have his ears. He felt like he was positively glowing. "We 'ave to wait until its safe outside to go."

The little girl giggled, her tears obviously forgotten, "You have a funny voice."

"Funny, that's wot your mommy said to me many years ago." This made Olivia giggle even harder. A cop came into the house and nodded. Cal bounced her in his arm, eliciting a fresh round of giggles. "Are ya ready to see mommy?"

Olivia nodded wildly and playfully yelled out, "Mommy!"

Cal held onto her as he walked out of the house. He was still on the lookout for anything or anyone out of place. He finally reached the barricade when they saw Gillian. Once past the barricade, he let go of the struggling girl and saw her dash off to meet her mommy.

Gillian scooped her up in her arms and hugged her fiercely. They stayed like that for about ten minutes. By then Olivia was starting to get a little antsy, but Gillian didn't want to let her go.

Cal stayed and watched in the background. The detective from Charleston came up to him and said, "You know I should arrest you, but I'll sight it as a warning." He grinned, "Good work in there." He clapped him on the back and held out his hand.

Cal took it and said, "You know, you're not so bad yourself. Thank you, detective." They shook hands.

Before leaving, the detective leaned in and said, "I don't know for sure, but I think you got back into her good graces." He winked at Cal and walked away.

Right after the detective left, Cal received a hard slap on his upper arm. He turned to see that it was Emily who slapped him. Feigning hurt and innocence, Cal put on a pouty face and whined, "Ow! Why did ya do that? Your hurtin' my feelin's."

Emily rolled her eyes, "Whatever dad! Get over yourself." Emily then looked back at Gillian and Olivia and said seriously, "That was a stupid thing you did. You could have been killed." She looked down and whispered, "You promised me that you would never do something as stupid like that." She was obviously hurt by his actions.

Cal snaked his arm around her shoulders and softly said, "I'm sorry, Luv, but I would do anything for my family."

It wasn't a lot, but her eyes lit up. "I can't believe I have a sister. After all these years of writing 'I want a sister' on my Christmas list, Santa gave me one. Though he's a little late, isn't he." Cal just looked at Emily like she sprouted three heads. She shrugged her shoulders and said airily, "Christmas in July is just as great."

Cal still looked confused when he asked, "Who are you and wot happened to my daughter?" Then out of nowhere, he heard a giggle. He looked over at the source and saw that Olivia was staring at him. She had the most beautiful eyes he had ever seen, other than her mother of course. He walked up and asked in his most British accent, "Wot are ya lookin a' lil' lady?" Then he made a monkey face by puffing out his cheeks and pulling out his ears.

She giggled even more. Then she looked at her mom and said in a squeaky voice, "He has a funny voice, mommy!" Then she was overcome with more giggles as she leaned into Gillian for support.

Cal thought she was a very giggly little girl, but that's what made her special to him. He looked over to Gillian, who was giving him an odd look. It was a mix between anger and laughter. Laughter soon won out and she rewarded him with a big grin. She bent down and picked her daughter up. "Olivia, remember when I told you that Mark was going to be your new daddy and you asked me who your real daddy was?" Of course she didn't remember but she nodded just the same. "Well this is your real daddy." The air around them felt a little awkward. Gillian couldn't help but beat herself up over her timing.

Olivia scrunched her face and asked, "But what happened to Mark?"

Gillian bit her lip taking a couple of seconds to choose the right words. "Well, he's going away."

She looked sad at first and then shrugged her shoulders. She looked up at Gillian and said, "I love you mommy."

Gillian picked her up and whispered in her ear, "I love my little baby."

She crossed her arms over her chest vividly and stated, "I'm not a baby anymore! I'm a big girl!" Olivia relaxed a little and then beckoned her mother to come closer like she was going to tell a big secret. She whispered, "I like this man, mommy! I think he will be a nice daddy. He's very funny." She clapped her hands over her mouth and had another round of giggles. And just like that, the awkwardness was gone.

Gillian leaned over to Cal and said, "You're in like Flynn."

Olivia yawned dramatically and laid her head down on Gillian's shoulders. "Mommy, I want to go home."

Cal leaned in and asked, "And where will that home be?" He tried to sound cocky like he already knew the answer, but he just ended up looking hopeful. Gillian brushed her fingers through Olivia's hair with a big smile playing at her lips.

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**Please review!**


	8. Chapter 8

**This is going to be the last chapter! I know it's long, but I didn't want to break it up.**

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3 months later…

Gillian had just brought in the last box into the new apartment. Utterly exhausted, she plopped herself on the sofa and closed her eyes. Just as she felt she was going to get a little rest time, Olivia came running, or better yet, flying into the living room and landed on Gillian. She pretended to be asleep, in which Olivia didn't believe for one minute. "I love you mommy!"

How could you ignore that? Gillian peeked open one eyelid and then cracked a smile. "I love you too!" She brought her in for a great big hug and a kiss on the forehead. "How do you like Washington DC so far?"

"We just got here mommy, I haven't seen anything!" She held out her hands and pouted her lips.

"Well then let's fix that, shall we?" Both girls looked around to the male voice. Cal had come in quietly through the front door and was leaning against the wall leading into the living room with a bottle of wine hung by his side. He placed the wine on a table next to where he was standing.

Olivia jumped off of her mom and squealed, "Daddy!" She ran into his arms, in which he gladly accepted her. She leaned in and kissed his cheek. "Mommy was pretending to be asleep, but I woke her up! She can't trick me!" She shook her head and pursed her lips. "Where's Emily?"

"I'm right here." She came in through the door right on time. "Joshua just called me. He's going to meet us up at-"

"Shhhh! Don't let tha cat outta tha bag? It's a secret." He held his finger over his lips and looked over at Olivia feigning innocence.

She instantly started to whine, "No fair! You're not supposed to keep secrets from me!"

Gillian got up from the couch and walked over to the crowd of people. "Cal, you might as well tell her. She won't let go of it. She's very stubborn, just like someone I know…" She squinted her eyes and leaned into his personal space.

"It's what came with the ears, darlin'. He leaned in closer and kissed her on her nose. Surprised at his closeness she stepped back.

"'Scuse me, but I wanna know where we are going!" Her mouth hung open to make her statement more dramatic.

Cal looked back at his younger daughter and calmly said, "You're just gonna have to wait till we get there." Olivia put on her pouty face and crossed her arms. Cal pointed at her and looked at Gillian, "You know she got that from you."

Every once in a while they would play this game of listing off Olivia's traits and who she got it from. Oddly enough, it gave Gillian a cozy feeling in her heart. "Well then you better hurry up and give her what she wants."

He handed her off to Gillian and said, "Then get her changed, woman. Make sure she has long socks on her feet."

Gillian just nodded and she took her upstairs to Olivia's bedroom.

Once they were upstairs, Cal snaked his arm around Emily's neck and gave her a mini-noogie. "You almost gave it away."

Emily tried to push him away but was unsuccessful. "Stop dad, I was just gonna say that Joshua was going to meet us there. Jeez, lay off!" She gave him one big push and he stopped. "And by the way dad, it's too soon for kissing. Gillian's not ready yet and that little stunt you did made her feel uncomfortable. Make sure you give her some space."

Cal pushed his hands into his pocket and looked up at the stairs. He all of a sudden became nervous. "You really think it was too fast. I thought she wanted it." Emily simply shook her head. "You know, she is the hardest person to read. It drives me bonkers mad."

Emily linked her arm with her dad's. "It's because you love her so much. Just give her some time, she'll come around. And believe me, she will."

"How do you know?"

"She moved to DC three months after Olivia was kidnapped." He still looked worried. She patted him on the arm and smiled. "She'll come around."

He looked over to Emily and cocked his head to the side. "And why do you want to become a guidance counselor again?"

She rolled her eyes, "Dad, I've explained this to you like a million times, it's where I think I'll be happy."

He kissed her on the cheek and said, "Just as long as you're happy, I'm happy."

"Same here dad."

"I'M READYYYY!" Olivia came flying down the stairs with her mother staring at her from the top.

Gillian placed her hands on her hips and said in a stern voice, "Olivia Louise, you better come back up here and walk down those stairs or I will sit you in time out for 10 minutes." Olivia looked up at her mom with puppy dog eyes, and obeyed by climbing the stairs once more, but more slowly this time. After she walked down the stairs, Gillian followed after and said to Cal, "We're obviously ready for the secret place." She winked at him as she walked to the door.

.:.

When Cal pulled into the parking lot of the ice rink, Olivia clapped her hands together and squealed. "Mommy, mommy, mommy, are we really going skating?" Her eyes were wide with a mixture of hope and anticipation.

Gillian turned from the passenger seat and nodded her head. "We're really going skating."

"YAY!" Olivia kicked her feet up and clapped her hands. "I have always wanted to go skating!" She sighed contently as she looked out of the window.

Cal couldn't help but stifle a laugh as he parked the car. Once everyone was out of the car, they all walked together to get their tickets and then to get their skates. All the while Olivia just kept bouncing on the balls of her feet. After tying up their skate laces, Emily took Olivia by the hand and helped her on the ice.

Gillian and Cal stayed back in the bleachers watching their daughters skate. For about 10 minutes not a word was passed through them. It was an awkward silence, but not an uncomfortable one. Gillian was the first to speak up, "I noticed that you didn't get any skates for yourself."

"I would look like a bloody wanka out there."

"Olivia's gonna come up to you and ask you to join her." He nodded to her statement. "For some reason she has been very taken with you." She wasn't trying to be mean, she was just being observant.

Cal replied back quietly, "I'm her dad."

Gillian turned her head so that she was staring at Cal. "She loves you very much."

Cal looked over at Gillian, "How about you?" He saw out of the corner of his eye that her hand was looking a little lonely on the bench. He wanted so desperately to touch her hand.

She lost her eye contact with him by looking down at her lap. "I don't know if I can love you again like how I used to love you. It's… it's just too early."

He placed his hand over hers, giving it a gentle squeeze. "I haven't been with anyone else since you left."

"That doesn't change what you did." He appreciated the fact that she was being brutally honest with him, but it hurt him all the same. He noticed however, that she didn't move her hand from his. Thank goodness for small victories. "I just got here, though; fresh out of my second divorce and a scary situation where my daughter was kidnapped by my husband's mistress. I need a little time to get my life back in order."

"I love you." He didn't mean to say it out loud, but it tumbled out of his mouth. He wasn't ashamed of it though. He held his chin higher and used his two fingers to bring her face around so that she was looking at him. "I love you still, after all of these years; I don't want to be with anyone except you." He noticed that she was about to interrupt him so he trucked on, "I know you need time and I'm willin' to give it to you, but I don't want you to think that I was bein' flaky that night." He was referring to the night that Olivia was rescued, but Gillian knew what he meant.

They sat in another silence, with only the sounds of the people from the ice rink serving as background noise. "You know, after all of these years, I've never stopped loving you. I think that's what made the kissing thing with Diana harder to get over. I still don't know if I can trust you. I know I love you, but it's the trust that will keep our relationship afloat. As hard as it is for me to say this, I have figured out the hard way that love isn't the only thing that will keep us together."

Cal opened his mouth to respond but was cut short by Olivia screaming, "DADDY! DADDY! I want to skate with you!" She was hanging onto the rail while Emily held one of her hands.

Gillian smiled at the pair of girls. "I told you, she was going to ask you to skate with you. And let's be honest, how can you say no to that loving face?"

She was right; Cal was having a hard time forming the words to tell his young daughter that he didn't want to skate. "Oh alright!" Gillian laughed at his response. Cal gave Gillian a playful death glare and yelled down, "I've got to go get some skates!" He turned back to Gillian and pulled her up from their still clasped hands. He brought his hand around to the back of her neck and whispered, "Let's have a date tomorrow. Emily can watch Olivia while I take you out and show you what you've been missing the past couple of years."

Gillian was having a hard time breathing, let alone thinking, being so close to Cal's lips. God, how she had missed those lips. Then, as if reading her mind, he leaned in and kissed her cheek. His lips lingered next to her ear and said one simple word, "Please?" With that one little word, she heard his vulnerability mixed in with his growing excitement by being so close to her. Her heart melted and her stomach became a jumbled mess of butterflies and jell-o.

She leaned in herself and kissed the corner of his mouth and said, "Yes, I would love to go on a date with you."

He let go of her hand and captured both of her cheeks so that she was looking straight into his eyes. "Really?" He wanted to make absolutely sure.

Her smile reached her eyes as she nodded her head, "Really."

He returned her smile with a grin of his own. "I know the perfect place to take you where they have a dessert called 'Chocolate Orgasm'."

"Mmmm… sounds appetizing." His eyes instantly darkened by her comment. One of her hands moved to his shoulder and said evenly, "Let's get you a pair of skates before Olivia has a temper tantrum." She reluctantly took a step back and turned towards where the skate rentals were. Cal followed her, bouncing on the balls of his own feet with the prospect of going on a date with Gillian.

* * *

**A/N: I know some of ya'll are expecting a big romance from Cal and Gillian, but to be honest it wouldn't have seemed real. They obviously still love each other, but I wanted to leave it off as 'is it enough'. And just like any other couple who goes through a hard time in their relationship, they have to start back a square one. **

**I might do a follow up story to this, but to be honest, I like how this one ended. **

**Thank you for all of your lovin'! Don't forget to review! :)**


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